Sterling Capital Management LLC Buys 181,166 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 964.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 199,952 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 181,166 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.18% of Rockwell Automation worth $57,144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ROK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $248.00 to $201.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $297.11.

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Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded down $5.77 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $227.28. The stock had a trading volume of 339,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 931,227. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $266.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $276.11. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is 65.26%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares in the company, valued at $300,219.71. This trade represents a 45.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,260.96. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.